


There's No Price On Me

by supercasey



Series: Red Vs. Blue One-Shots [28]
Category: Red vs. Blue
Genre: Canonical Character Death, Character Death, Child Neglect, Childhood, Childhood Friends, Childhood Memories, Childhood Trauma, Death, F/M, Long-Term Relationship(s), M/M, Multi, Neglect, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Parent Death, Past Relationship(s), Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Relationship(s), War, War Era, carwash siblings
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-06-13
Updated: 2015-08-02
Packaged: 2018-04-04 03:55:36
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 4
Words: 16,005
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4124757
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/supercasey/pseuds/supercasey
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Aiden Price has just signed up to move in with Leonard and Allison Church in Austin, Texas. Leonard is a scientist, Aiden is between jobs, and Allison is a soldier. The war gets bad, so Allison goes and Aiden and Leonard wait for her. When she doesn't come back, Aiden signs up for a lot more than just being a roommate.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Settle

There's No Price On Me

Chapter 1: Settle

Pairing(s): Leonard Church/Allison Church, Leonard Church/Aiden Price, Leonard Church/Allison Church/Aiden Price, etc.

Description: Aiden Price has just signed up to move in with Leonard and Allison Church in Austin, Texas. Leonard is a scientist, Aiden is between jobs, and Allison is a soldier. The war gets bad, so Allison goes and Aiden and Leonard wait for her. When she doesn't come back, Aiden signs up for a lot more than just being a roommate.

A/N: I've had this written up for months, but I feel since today was my last day of school for the year that I should post it today! Hope you all like it, it's one of my prouder works!

...

"Do I really need to sign this?" Aiden Price stared down at the large, almost frightening binder, which was opened to the first document: it was more or less a contract.

"Well, I fucking expect you to." Leonard Church sassed back, giving the slightly shorter man a harsh glare. "It's the roommate agreement. If you don't like it, then you can walk out right fucking now."

"Leo-" Came Allison Church's voice, dangerous and threatening as she glared at him from her seat on the couch. "-Shut the fuck up and lay off. No one cares about your shitty roommate agreement."

The three adults were in the sitting room of a large, luxurious house in Austin, Texas. The air was hot and humid, the summertime air seeping into the household through the open window. Aiden was sitting in a wheely chair, leaning over the coffee table in the middle of the room. He wore ironed black slacks, a white, long sleeved, button-up shirt, and black flat-bottom shoes. Leonard was sitting on the couch, on the other side of the coffee table, wearing a blue turtleneck (How he managed it in the Texan heat, no one knew), black shorts, and plain, white socks.

Allison was lying on the same couch as Leonard, legs on his lap as she relaxed on the upholstery. Allison wore a black tank-top, pink short-shorts, and no socks or shoes whatsoever. Finally, playing on the floor with a toy monster truck, was Caroline Church, a little two year old girl, who was wearing a blue T-shirt with a pink unicorn on it, a slightly darker blue skirt, and light blue clips in her short, flaming red hair. She seemed happy enough playing with her toys, and left Aiden and her parents be.

Here's the bottom line: Leonard Church was a very wealthy scientist. Naturally, he earned a handsome amount of money through his job, and tried to live up to par. Unfortunately, he and his wife had run into a predicament. Allison was only home on the weekends, having been in the military and needed on base during the weekdays, and Leonard could only work from home during the fall, winter, and spring months. They needed a babysitter, since Caroline was only at daycare until noon, and they also needed a maid to help keep the house in order.

That's how Leonard got ahold of an old friend from high school. Aiden Prince had been one of his closest friends in school- one of his only ones- and the two had been in minimal contact since graduation. Leonard and Aiden had, by accident, run into each other at the store, where they afterwards went to a bar and caught up, which led to Leonard learning that Aiden was behind on his rent and without a job. They came up with a solution, one Leonard and Aiden were adamant about and Allison seemed pleased with.

"It is too important!" Leonard snapped back at Allison, crossing his arms with agitation. "We need to make sure we have legal fucking proof that he lives here in-case he ever tries to murder us!"

"I assure you, I have no such intentions." Aiden promised, feeling slightly in the middle as the couple argued. He silently wondered how Caroline could live healthily with such a hot-headed couple for parents.

"I'm pretty sure Mr. I've-Never-Lifted here ain't gonna shoot us in our sleep." Allison decided, teasing her husband. "Besides, you didn't make me sign some stupid fucking agreement when I married you, or made Carol sign one when she was born."

"Hi, Mama!" Caroline suddenly greeted as she heard her name, sitting up on her knees and waving at the adults to show that she was listening. "Is Mr. Price gonna come live with us? He's super nice!"

"Only if Daddy quits being an-" Allison stopped herself, figuring that she already swore too much in front of the kid. "Look, when ya grow up, you'll learn that Daddy is stupid, okay? I know it'll suck, but Daddy does, too."

Aiden immediately blushed at that- the comment reminded him of something rather… inappropriate- along with Leonard, making Allison snort as she laughed at the blushing men. She soon got off of Leonard, heading for the kitchen in the adjacent room. "Hey, I'm getting some iced tea, you want anything while I'm up?"

"May I please have some apple juice?" Caroline asked, and upon earning a nod, grinned, returning to playing with her toy monster truck, this time sticking a Barbie figure into the driver's seat.

"I'll have some coffee." Leonard requested, shrugging. "Also, get Mr. I-Don't-Trust-Paperwork a coke. Please." He added the last part after Allison gave him a harsh glare, as if daring him to give her an order.

"On it." Allison confirmed, before leaving the three remaining members of the group in the sitting room.

Once Allison was out of sight, Aiden sighed, skimming the paperwork with carefully trained eyes. "Are you sure you need me to sign this?" He repeated, and sighed again when Leonard simply nodded. "Alright. Fine. I'll sign it." He did, though he still seemed hesitant.

It wasn't that Aiden didn't like Leonard- he was a nice guy, and they'd been friends for longer than he could remember- he just wasn't sure if he was ready to be his nanny. They had a history, if the blushing from earlier didn't already imply it, and Allison knew about it. It was long since over, Leonard having wanted to end it and Aiden agreeing (Though adamantly), but the thoughts and memories still lingered, on occasion. It definitely made Aiden feel awkward about moving in with Leonard and his family.

Although, Aiden had high hopes for his new job. It would pay well, as Leonard and Allison had already shown him how much he'd be paid monthly, and he was permitted if not expected to live with them in the house, as he had nowhere else to go and they might need him in an emergency or family crisis. So, Aiden smiled as Allison re-entered the room, handing everyone their desired drinks (Carol got her's in a sippy-cup), before plopping back down on the couch, effectively swinging her legs onto Leonard's lap hard enough to make him yelp.

As Caroline giggled in response, Aiden sighed, pleased that he was, at the very least, moving in with a family he trusted with his life.

...

Time passed quickly in the Church household, with Leonard regularly being gone at work until five or six, and Allison only visiting on the weekends. This left Aiden rather busy, which he thought odd, considering he was only babysitting a two year old. Unfortunately for him, Caroline was far more lively and energetic than the average two year old. She wasn't exactly hyper, but she was definitely far too curious for such a little girl, and kept Aiden on his toes as he balanced the household chores while watching her.

But Aiden loved his job, despite it's obvious difficulties, and managed to get around most of the would-be disasters. So, one day, when Allison came running home with vomit on her shirt and clutching her stomach, Aiden knew that things were definitely going to change, effectively messing up the whole schedule he'd made for himself. Even so, he didn't hesitate before following Allison to the nearest bathroom to the backdoor (Her military base wasn't far behind the house), holding her hair back as she vomited into the toilet.

"I feel like shit." Allison announced, in-between bouts of violent coughing as her sickness seemed to cool down for the time-being. "Call Leo... tell him to come home, now, and to bring me a 'pen' on the way home."

Aiden did so, feeling that 'pen' was some kind of codeword that he wasn't informed of. He called Leonard immediately, and was greeted with a loud: "She needs a PEN!?" It didn't sound like Leonard didn't know what it was, but more like he very well knew and it terrified him.

Not an hour later, Leonard Church arrived home, a drug store plastic bag in one hand, and his glasses in the other. "Why did you stop at a drugstore?" Aiden asked as he followed Leonard into the bedroom, giving the bag a cautious look. "If she requires a pen, could you have not just gotten one from your office?"

"She doesn't need an ink pen, dumbass!" Leonard shouted, stopping at the door as he cooled off, turning to look at Aiden. "Is Caroline taking a nap?" Receiving a nod in return, Leonard sighed with relief. "Good... the next hour or two could get hectic."

Leonard entered the bedroom, allowing Aiden to come inside, though Leonard warned him to stay in the chair he kept at the desk in the room. Very quietly, and more gently than Aiden had seen in a long time, Leonard shook his wife awake, pulling out a small, pink box from his bag, but it was too far away from Aiden for him to read it. Relieved by the looks of it, Allison slowly took the pink box, Leonard helping her into the private bathroom. A few minutes passed, before a loud crash sounded.

Aiden jumped out of his seat at the sound, and heard Caroline stir from down the hallway. Hushed voices followed the crash, and Aiden strained to hear and pick up on the conversation, shivering internally as he wondered what could be wrong with Allison. After a few more tense, lingering minutes, Leonard left the bathroom, holding a pen-like stick, which had a red plus sign on one patch of it. Aiden stared, eyes wide as he recognized the item to be a pregnancy test. He looked up at Leonard, not knowing what to say.

"It's..." Leonard sighed, looking both frightened yet full of happiness. "It's a pregnancy test. It's positive... Tex is pregnant."

...

The reason for the strange and loud reaction, Aiden later on discovered, was due to the fact that Allison had been on birth control and they hadn't been planning on having another baby. Nonetheless, Allison refused to even consider aborting the baby, and her and Leonard agreed to have the child. Things changed, as Aiden had expected, and Allison was made to stay home for most of the week, forced to keep from exercising too much. This infuriated Allison, but she didn't argue, something Aiden suspected was the result of losing such an argument during her pregnancy with Caroline.

Speaking of Caroline, the girl was absolutely ecstatic at the idea of gaining a sibling. During playtime- when Aiden was finished with his morning chores and Caroline had gotten home from daycare- the girl insisted on Aiden playing 'House' with her, so that she could practice to become a big sister. Unfortunately, due to her having thrown her pretend little brother (A stuffed bear she simply called Baby), Aiden was a bit afraid of what would happen once her new sibling could interact with her on a daily basis.

One such morning, as Aiden had been forced into a top hat and suit on Caroline's request for her pretend game, Allison entered the living room, looking extremely pissed off. "I can't fucking believe it!" She shouted, Caroline not even flinching as she did so. "That goddamn idiot! I can't believe he would even suggest it!"

"May I inquire as to why you're screaming, Tex?" Aiden asked quietly, crouched on the floor with Caroline, who was wearing a pink, princess dress as she pretended to feed her stuffed bear, who was uncooperative the entire time.

"My sargent is a douchebag, THAT'S why!" Allison deadpanned, readying herself to face-plant on the couch, but thought better of it, and sat down gracefully, crossing her arms over her soon-to-be-rounded stomach.

"You mean more than usual?" Aiden joked, pretend-sipping from the plastic teacup Caroline had given to him, as to be his pretend-morning coffee. Caroline had begun to forcefully stab the spoon she was using to feed Baby at the bear's mouth, but no one commented.

"He expects me- let me make this clear that he was definitely referring to ME of all people- he told me I should consider taking a military leave for the next year to have the baby! I mean, I'm already, like, two months pregnant! They'll be four months old by the time I'm let back in!" Allison ranted, looking absolutely astonished by the very thought. "The fuck does he think I am, a stay-at-home-mom? Can you believe this shit!?"

"I think that it's an excellent idea, Tex. You could use the rest." Aiden pointed out helpfully, trying to ignore the fact that Caroline had murder in her bottle green eyes as she continued to attack her stuffed bear. "Carol, why are you hurting Baby?" He felt it was a good idea to change the subject, seeing as Allison began to stare at him with her own brand of murder in her gunmetal blue eyes.

"'Cus Baby is being stupid!" Caroline explained, as if this was obvious and didn't need an explanation in the first place. "He won't eat his applesauce, so I'm making him eat it!"

"That seems... violent." Aiden mused, but didn't look quite ready to step in. Not yet at the very least. "Are you sure you cannot reason with Baby?"

"Baby is a baby, and babies don't got any reasoning yet!" Caroline insisted, continuing to stab Baby as she spoke, conversation doing nothing to slow down her assault on the stuffed animal.

"Aiden, why in God's name do you think my sergeants fucking right?" Allison demanded to know, reminding Aiden of what they'd been talking about prior to Caroline's attempted murder. "You saying I can't handle training while I'm knocked up?"

"I never said such a thing." Aiden answered, still trying to hide just how terrified he was of Allison as she only got madder and madder. He'd seen her train before- had gone with Caroline to drop off her lunch if she forgot it- and it never ended well for the other combatant. "I'm only trying to explain that you are currently pregnant, therefore you should avoid any overly straining activities. You must remember that you have another human being inside of you now."

"I know about having babies, jackass. I've already had one, and she turned out perfect!" Allison assured Aiden, dead-set on staying in training for as long as humanly possible.

Aiden said nothing, simply pointing at Caroline, who had actually torn a hole in Baby at this point. Cotton was everywhere, and Baby looked successfully punished. Caroline seemed pleased once more, stuffing the spoon into Baby's open head. "Good point." Allison decided, looking a bit scared herself of her own daughter. "But maybe I can talk him into letting me back in after only ten months..." Aiden said nothing in return about the matter, preferring to continue sipping at his pretend-coffee. Could use more sugar, he thought jokingly.

...

And so, Allison began her leave. At first, nothing much happened. She did some things she'd always wanted to do, like stargazing every night with Caroline on the roof, or going on morning runs every day, or actually eating a regular breakfast instead of scarfing down a protein shake on the way out the door. But soon enough, Allison was stir-crazy, and nothing seemed to work. She was getting desperate for something to do, to the point that she began watching the movies that Leonard liked that she once swore were stupid. Finally, one day in spring, Allison, with a now rounded belly at six months pregnant, laid almost motionless on the couch, bored out of her skull. Leonard was home that day, as it was a Saturday, and he simply patted her head as she laid there, moaning and groaning.

"I'm so damn boooooored!" Allison announced, for what was maybe the seventh time within the last hour. Beside the couch in a daze was Caroline, who nodded her head in agreement. "We need to get out and do something."

"Well, what do you wanna do?" Leonard asked, trying to focus on a book. It was a sci-fi titled 'Attack on Venus 3: Return of the Elites'. Even during an age cursed by intergalactic warfare, people still seemed to like science fiction novels. "I've got nothing planned."

Aiden, who was sitting in the same wheely chair he'd been in the day he moved in, shrugged halfheartedly in response. He too was bored out of his skull, done with all of his chores for the day, and longed for something entertaining to do. "It's your decision, Mr. Church." He muttered, too tired and unexcited to use his usual formality of 'sir'.

Caroline crawled onto the couch, sitting on Leonard's lap, Allison scooting over a bit to give her daughter some room. "How about we go to the fair?" She offered, eyes lighting up at the idea. "My daycare teacher said there's one in town!"

Allison sat up, looking interested. "It would be fun to get out for the day, maybe go on a few rides, get some exercise for once. I haven't been to the fair since I was in high school." She explained, entertained already by the growing excitement. "Hell, why not? This could be fun!"

Leonard sighed, loudly, setting his book aside. The smile on his face telling everyone that he was secretly excited as well. "Fucking fine. I'll get my keys." He looked to Aiden, raising an eyebrow. "You coming or what, asshole?"

Aiden looked surprised, then again, he usually did when the Church family tried to involve him in any big, family activities. "If you insist." He agreed, standing up from his chair. "I assume I should dress in something more appropriate?" The reason he asked this was because he was wearing a long-sleeved shirt and jeans.

"No, wear that, it's an indoor fair." Allison explained sarcastically, rolling her eyes in response to Aiden's ridiculous question. "Of course you should change, ya nerd. Come on, Carol, let's get you in something nice." She stood up, taking Caroline's hand to lead her into her daughter's bedroom to help get her dressed.

Within a half hour, the family was ready to go. Caroline was wearing an orange T-shirt, aqua blue shorts, and aqua blue light-up shoes. Aiden wore a white T-shirt with 'If Lost, Return to The Resident Badass' written on it, blue jean shorts, and black sandals. Leonard wore a matching T-shirt to Aiden, long, blue jeans, a baseball cap with 'Mass Effect' on it, and black sandals with white socks on. Allison wore a black T-shirt reading 'I'm The Resident Badass' on it, black, ripped up shorts, white tennis shoes, and she had her hair up in a ponytail. Aiden had packed a backpack with supplies, including a first-aid kit, wet-wipes, baby powder, diapers for Carol, sunscreen, a few pairs of sunglasses, back-up clothes for Carol, bug-spray, itching lotion, a towel, and a flashlight. He listed off the supplies as they left the house, he and Carol in the backseat, Allison in the front passenger seat, and Leonard driving.

"God, you're a dork." Leonard pointed out once Aiden had finished listing off what he had in his backpack. "Do we even need half that shit?"

"Seeing as Caroline has yet to be potty-trained, I assume so." Aiden replied rather sarcastically, earning a chuckle from Allison. "Besides, all of these items will more than likely be needed."

"Who the fuck needs a flashlight during the daytime!?" Leonard shouted, but didn't seem all that mad about all of the things Aiden had packed. "I'm just saying, the flashlight was pointless as shit."

"Alright, if we lose you in a dark alley, I'll make sure you never get that flashlight, wise-guy." Allison declared, smirking as Leonard's face flushed red with embarrassed anger.

"Bitch." Leonard muttered, earning a kick from the backseat. "Oh, not you too!" He yelled, glancing into the mirror to see Caroline grinning in her booster seat. "How'd ya even kick me with those tiny-ass legs!?"

"Who said it was Caroline?" Aiden answered. The car immediately erupted with laughter, making Aiden himself laugh with them. It seemed that day was fated to be good.

...

The day went about as well as they'd hoped. Caroline and Allison had insisted on being on as many rides as humanly possible, meaning Leonard and Aiden were forced onto more than one rollercoaster. Unlike Leonard, who shrieked and flailed during the rollercoaster rides, Aiden was unimpressed. It wasn't that he wasn't given an adrenaline rush by the roller coasters, it's just that he could never see the appeal. Being sent hurtling up and down and all over the place? It seemed unconventional to him, but nonetheless, he allowed Caroline to drag him onto the roller coasters and insane rides, shrugging it off as more of an adventurous activity than a mental game. He did have fun though- there were a few rides he found were enjoyable- and near the end of the night when Caroline begged him to join her on the Ferris wheel, he accepted with no complaints.

The stars were out early as night fell over Austin, Texas. Young and old lovers alike flocked to the Ferris wheel to complete the day's adventures, and Aiden, Caroline, Allison, and Leonard were all lucky enough to get on in time. Aiden and Caroline were in one seat, while Leonard and Allison were in the one above them. As if planned by the God's of cliches, the Ferris wheel got stuck, with Allison and Leonard at the very top. Aiden and Caroline watched the nighttime sky from their seat with wide eyes, both amazed by how many stars there were, as it seemed the power had gone off all over the city. Caroline seemed a bit scared by the quietness of the city and nighttime, but still bounced a bit in her seat with her remaining energy, continuously glancing at Aiden to check if he was having as much fun as her.

"Thanks for coming onto the Ferris wheel with me, Mr. Price." Caroline whispered, making Aiden almost jump with surprise due to the suddenness of her voice. "I love being this high up... you think this is how Superman feels?"

"I suppose it might." Aiden mused, sighing to let out a breath he didn't know he'd been holding. He wasn't afraid of heights- God no- but the thought of being one jump away from death... it worried him a bit. "It's nice to be here, where it's quiet."

"... Sorry if I'm too loud, Mr. Price." Caroline replied, looking crestfallen as she hung her head, as if ashamed by her own behavior. "I can be more quiet if you want."

Aiden stared at Caroline, brow knit with concern. "You're not too loud, Caroline. You're rarely too loud, and such a volume is expected from a child your age." He looked back at the stars above them, unable to hear Leonard and Allison, as they were whispering too quietly to really hear. "You don't need to apologize to me unless you've done something wrong or lied, alright?"

Caroline was quiet for awhile, before nodding, looking up-beat again. "Okay, Mr. Price. I will." She promised, before her eyes widened. "Look! Fireworks!" She cheered, pointing up at the sky.

Aiden paused, squinting before his eyes widened in terror at the sight above him. "... Those aren't fireworks." He whispered, horrified. "Oh God..."

Above their heads was what Aiden assumed was an all-out battle with the Covenant. He couldn't quite make out any ships from where he was, but judging by the sharp intake of breath from Allison above him, he figured she could. Big, numbing explosions sounded through the air, and even if the fight was far, far away, the explosions were big enough that Aiden could make them out. He looked around, searching for an escape route, but could see none available. He looked to Caroline, who was suddenly very concerned, looking around hesitantly, as if she was also aware of the danger above them. Soon, alarms started going off, and firetrucks came speeding towards the Ferris wheel, trying to get people down. Caroline looked up at Aiden, big, clear tears in her eyes as she tried not to cry.

"Mr. Price... what's going on?" She asked, shivering as the nighttime air bit at her skin, making her wrap her arms protectively around herself.

Aiden simply stared back down at Caroline, not knowing what to say as a ladder started coming towards the two of them. The rest of that night would be blocked out from his memory, but the memory of Caroline's big, bottle green eyes filled with tears would never, ever be erased from his mind.

...

A/N: First chapter for a new fic I'm working on! I already got the next part ready, but I'm gonna wait until next Friday (or earlier) to post it and see how people like it. Please R&R, and check out my sister's fic "EXE/: CORRUPTED" on AO3. It's sooooo good, guys!

~Supercasey.


	2. Birth

There's No Price On Me

Chapter 2: Birth

Pairing(s): Leonard Church/Allison Church, Leonard Church/Aiden Price, Leonard Church/Allison Church/Aiden Price, etc.

Description: Aiden Price has just signed up to move in with Leonard and Allison Church in Austin, Texas. Leonard is a scientist, Aiden is between jobs, and Allison is a soldier. The war gets bad, so Allison goes and Aiden and Leonard wait for her. When she doesn't come back, Aiden signs up for a lot more than just being a roommate. He never expected to have kids, but nothings wrong with surprises. Usually.

A/N: I'm updating WAY earlier than I intended to do, but due to people asking questions I felt awkward about answering (I don't wanna spoil too much of the story before I even get to it) I'm updating with the next chapter early. As a result, the next chapter- as it's still uncompleted- will make it take awhile before I update next. Thankfully, I've been more invested in this fic lately, so it should be real soon here. Sorry for the monologue: enjoy this chapter!

...

Thank God it wasn't the Covvies.

The next day, they learned that it was a malfunction with the spaceships leaving the station just outside of Austin. A ship had exploded out of nowhere, causing a chain-reaction as all of the other nearby ships suffered serious damage, killing almost everyone on-board. Several hundred were injured, even more killed, but still, at least it wasn't the goddamn Covenant. Aiden was grateful for that, yet Allison became... quiet. She'd known almost all of those killed on the ships, and she took it pretty damn hard. Some days she'd refuse to leave her bed, others she'd act like her old self again, but on most she'd act normal until she saw something that reminded her of her friends, then she'd slowly make for her room, where she'd stay until either Leonard got home or until she needed to eat something.

Everyone was affected, especially Leonard. He started staying home more and more, deciding to work almost permanently from home, so that maybe Allison would have someone to lean on while she grieved. It worked, because pretty soon Allison was getting better. She wasn't exactly like her old self, but she was able to begin the process of moving on. Aiden sympathized with her, but didn't know how to help, so he continued cleaning the house and watching Caroline. Speaking of Caroline, she began to ask more questions- difficult questions to answer- and Aiden found it hard to continue raising her. One day, he sat near-motionless at the kitchen table, head in his hands as he considered, for the millionth time, moving out and getting a new job, one that might keep him away from terrified kids and grieving parents.

He didn't bother to look up as Allison walked in, her footsteps softer than they used to be, more calculated and thoughtful. She said nothing as she sat down at the table across from Aiden, looking tired, almost old in this sense. "Been hard, hasn't it?" She announced, opening up room for conversation with that simple statement.

"Incredibly so." Aiden agreed, sounding just as old as Allison looked in that moment. "I'm just unsure of what course of action I should take... she keeps asking me things, Allison. Things most three year old's shouldn't be asking."

"Then answer her." Allison offered, a light that Aiden couldn't quite place as urgency in her eyes. "I know that's difficult right now, but this is war. You might not be reloading an Assault Rifle every five minutes just to make sure you're not caught without any fucking ammunition, or bleeding out in a gutter, but just this... raising a kid... this is a war of it's own right here. Nobody trains you for this shit but yourself."

"I suppose not." Aiden replied, looking deep in thought as he stayed hunched over the kitchen table, worn out by the war Allison was certain existed. "But it's not like I can fight my way out of this sort of war."

"It never really ends." Allison explained further. "This kinda war can't end. Once you got a kid of your own- even if it ain't exactly your flesh and blood- you've signed up for a war. It ain't shooting Dinos, but it's close. Just as terrifying." She chuckled at this, remembering something Aiden probably hadn't been present for. "Ya know, before you showed up... I thought Carol was gonna end up fucked up like me. My mom was a stoner, and my dad... well, I don't know where he was. Not home, that's where. Anyway, I thought Carol was gonna end up screwed up like me, with no parents to trust and have raising her, seeing as me and Leo are always out... but then you showed up."

"I'm not sure if I'm much better, Tex." Aiden admitted, sounding disappointed in himself. "You're a much better parent than myself."

"Just 'cus I'm the birth mom doesn't mean I'm blessed with the wisdom of how to raise a daughter." Allison informed her friend, smirking at him. "Look, I'm just saying... when we finally beat those Covvies, and I'm home permanently with my kids... you better stick around. You're family now." She didn't wait for him to answer. Instead, she stood up, making for Leonard's study down the hallway. "I have a feeling you signed up for a lot more than being a roommate, Price." She announced, before leaving the room.

Well… she was right about that. He was never meant to be a roommate, was he?

...

And so, life went on. Allison didn't grieve as often, Leonard stopped biting his nails with worry, Caroline got her questions answered, and Aiden stopped worrying about everything around him. It wasn't long until the pregnancy started to really take an effect on Allison, causing her to have mood swings, cravings, and sleeping for ridiculous amounts of time. At night, Leonard and Aiden would be forced to get up, usually to run to the store and get something that sounded completely inedible ("I want peanut butter and jelly covered hotdogs." "Excuse me?") Nonetheless, the two men fulfilled such tasks with little complaint, and seemed satisfied as the pregnancy slowly reached the eight and a half months marker.

It was around midnight when it happened, where Aiden awoke to the sound of loud screaming from the master bedroom. Worried for the couple, he rushed into the room, dressed only in bunny slippers, a pink bathrobe, and blue and white striped boxers. Leonard was out of bed, trying to scoop Allison up, while the blonde woman thrashed and screamed, as if she were dying or being attacked by some unknown entity.

"It's coming." Leonard deadpanned, looking to Aiden with big, terror-filled emerald eyes. "Go get Carol; I'm gonna get Tex to the hospital in the SUV. You take Carol in your car, okay? Bring some of her storybooks, and maybe some other handheld toys or something. We'll call if something comes up."

"Alright." Aiden agreed, watching Leonard leave before heading to Caroline's room, opening the door almost silently. As expected, the girl was wide awake in her bed, awoken by the earlier screaming, and stared up with eyes like her father's. "You need to come with me, alright?" He explained, scooping Caroline out of her bed. "We need go somewhere."

"Is Mama dying?" Caroline asked, shivering as she sobbed, Aiden grabbing her coat and helping her arms into the clothing, zipping it up for her. He then put a bear hat on her head, scooping her up and heading for the sitting room.

"No, Caroline. Your mother isn't dying. She is going to the hospital with your father to have the baby." Aiden explained, feeling awkward, as if he really wasn't the person to explain this to Caroline. "Everything is going to be alright." He added, as an afterthought.

Caroline sniffled, unconvinced, but cooperated with Aiden as he carried her out the door and into his own car, the one he'd been using long before re-meeting the Church's. Buckling Caroline into the passenger seat, Aiden took off, realizing with a heavy heart that he and Caroline wouldn't get to the hospital in at least an hour. Knowing Leonard, Aiden figured he was at least halfway there, which raised the more-or-less butler's mood a good bit, but not enough to completely calm his nerves. Hesitantly, he glanced at Caroline, who was curled into a ball in her seat, shaking slightly as the lights of the solar-powered highway lit up the area, the girl's face now covered by a veil of blue light illuminating from the road.

Aiden couldn't help but be reminded vaguely of Leonard whenever Caroline would look up at him with those big, beautiful, bottle green eyes. They reminded Aiden of long nights spent playing video games and watching sci-fi movies, of buying bags of potato chips and bottles of coke at the drugstore down the street from school, of waking up at sunrise to go to Leo's place to cram in some extra studying time for the test in class, of running around in the sewers even though it wasn't allowed, of climbing onto Aiden's parent's roof and watching the spaceships take off into space so that the marines could go fight the war, of thinking up a whole lifetime with him before those green eyes looked back at him and said 'It's over, Aiden'-

Aiden snapped out of it, shaking his head as he refocused on the highway. But, again, he glanced at little Caroline in the passenger seat. She'd fallen asleep after awhile, peacefully dreaming as she leaned awkwardly on her side, balanced against the passenger door. Aiden pulled the car over for a second, if only to adjust Caroline safely so that she could lean on him. Couldn't have her getting a sore neck after all. Aiden smiled softly at the girl as he started up the car again, sighing in the quietness as the car continued on it's way towards the hospital. He glanced at the GPS in his car, thankful to see that they'd arrive in about twenty minutes or so. Suddenly, Aiden's car phone went off, making Caroline whimper as she awoke.

Trying to hide a groan, Aiden clicked on a button on the car's screen. "Hello?" He asked, petting Caroline's hair to relax her again.

"Hey, Aiden." Leonard answered, sounding worn out. Aiden could tell that he was close to passing out, much like Caroline. "Just wanted to call and let you know that Tex and I made it to the hospital. She's in a room now, but they don't expect the baby to come out for another hour or so."

"Understood. Do you still want me to bring Caroline?" Aiden inquired, feeling it was good to ask Leonard before he drove all the way there.

"That's up to her. Carol, honey, do you still wanna come?" Leonard directed his question at Caroline, hoping to hear it from her. "It's okay if you don't wanna. Mommy will bring the baby in a day or two if you wanna wait and see the baby then."

"I wanna see 'em!" Carol exclaimed, hopping up and down in her seat, a new burst of energy keeping her awake. "I wanna meet my new sibling!"

"Alright, alright." Leonard chuckled, sounding more upbeat as his daughter renewed his spark of endurance. "You can bring her on over then, Aiden."

"Got it. We'll be there in about fifteen minutes." Aiden confirmed, before shutting off the car phone. He sighed, glad to hear that Leonard and Allison had gotten to the hospital in one piece. "See, Carol? Everything will be just fine."

"I can't wait to meet 'em..." Caroline mumbled, hugging the stuffed unicorn Aiden had grabbed for her on the way out of the house earlier, seemingly content now that the air was cleared. "Do ya think they'll like me?" She asked Aiden, looking a bit worried again.

"I'm sure your sibling will adore you, Carol." Aiden promised, smiling to himself as he continued down the road.

...

The baby arrived not three hours later, at exactly 2:53 AM, while a thunderstorm outside rung loudly throughout the hospital. Aiden was near-silent as he carried Caroline down the second floor hallway of the hospital, taking the girl to go meet her new sibling. Caroline was fatigued again by that time, her head resting on Aiden's shoulder, but a soft smile was still on her face as they went towards the room, an excited look in her half-lidded, bottle green eyes. Aiden entered the room with a smile of his own on his face, taking in the heartfelt picture laid out before him. Leonard was passed out, snoring softly as he grasped the blankets of Allison's bed in his sleep, while in Allison's arms was the baby, equally as tired and sleeping as their father.

The infant had a small, fluffy tuft of blond hair on their head, their eyes squeezed shut to hide their colorization from view. Allison looked worn out, eyes half-lidded as she held up the small baby, occasionally toying with the tuft of hair on their head. She suddenly noticed Caroline and Aiden at the door, and gave them a toothy grin, confirming that she was perfectly fine to the duo. Seeing this, Aiden set Caroline down, allowing the fiery haired child to run full force to her mother, jumping onto the bed. This made Leonard shoot up, fully awake as he stared at the baby in Allison's arms with wide eyes, amazed by the child. Aiden stayed in the doorway, momentarily feeling awkward in the family scene.

"Come on over and meet the baby, Aiden." Allison offered, sitting up with Leonard's help to give Caroline and Aiden a better look at the baby. "He's a boy, by the way." She added, smirking at Leonard. "What should we name 'em?"

"Shit, I dunno. I just... he looks just like ya, Tex." Leonard commented, Allison handing the baby carefully to him to be cradled by the father. "Maybe we should give him a name like your's? Like Alex or Adam."

"Naw, he doesn't look like an Adam to me." Allison muttered, not even commenting on the name Alex. "If you can't think of something, I will." She thought about it, smirking deviously at her daughter. "What do you think we should name him, Carol?"

"Bunny!" Caroline exclaimed, making Aiden snort while Leonard huffed childishly and rolled his eyes. "That way we can call him Bun for short!"

"While that's the perfect name for a college graduate, I dunno if 'Bunny' is that great a name for the baby." Leonard explained, earning a half-hearted punch from Allison. "Ow! Shit, don't strain yourself! Doctor's orders!"

"And since when have I listened to a doctor?" Allison pointed out, before looking to Aiden, a soft looking entering her gunmetal blue eyes. "What name do you think fits him, Aiden?"

Aiden stopped, staring at the gathered family with big, confused brown eyes. "E-Excuse me? You want... me... to name your newborn son?"

Leonard laughed, just as certain as Allison on the matter. "Well, you have been, like, an awesome fucking friend to us for over a year now. Least we can do is ask for your say in naming our fucking son." He winced as Allison punched him again in the same spot for cursing.

Aiden seemed to think about it, brow furrowed in deep thought. "You know... the name David has always been appealing in my mind." He admitted, looking hesitant.

That really made Allison's eyes light up. "David, huh?" She stared at her son, who was still fast asleep as he curled in closer to the mother. "David... I think that's perfect." Leonard nodded his acceptance to Allison, liking the name as well. "It's settled then. We got ourselves a David."

"Can I hold him?" Caroline practically begged, bouncing up and down on her knees with excitement. "I wanna hold David!"

"Alright, alright." Leonard agreed, very carefully handing the baby to Caroline, who was extremely careful as she held him on her lap. "Easy with him, okay? He ain't a toy."

"I know, Daddy." Caroline assured her father, her eyes suddenly going huge as she drew in her breath. "Mommy, Daddy, look! He opened his eyes! He's looking at me!"

David stared blankly up at his sister with big, gunmetal blue eyes that matched his mother's pair, grabbing at her until he had a clump of her shirt in his tiny fist. He pulled on it only once, not strong enough to really hurt her or anything, but it seemed absolutely amazing to Carol. "Would ya look at that." Allison muttered, grinning at her two children fondly. "Looks like he likes you, Carol."

"I'm gonna be the best big sister ever, David." Caroline promised her brother, giving him an almost worrying, toothy grin. "Just you see, I'll take good care of you."

"Should we be scared?" Leonard asked the room, slightly concerned now for his newly born son. "As much as I trust Carol, I know what she did to that damn teddy bear..."

"I think it will be different with David." Aiden explained, smiling fondly now at the two children on Allison's bed, a sense of pride filling his chest. "And besides, I'll be there to make sure she doesn't hurt him."

"Let's hope so." Leonard yawned, resting his head on Allison's bed again, looking absolutely exhausted. "I'm wiped... wake me if the doctor comes in."

"Will do." Aiden promised, watching as both Leonard and Allison fell asleep, leaving him to make sure Caroline didn't drop David. She never did.

...

And so, two days later, they brought the baby home. It became... louder. Aiden hadn't thought it humanly possible- Caroline was loud enough on her own- but now it seemed David was always crying about something. Aiden wondered if all babies were like this, as he'd never had any of his own, and hadn't been around when Caroline was an infant. So, they worked in shifts, as Allison couldn't handle the little fucker alone. Leonard took time off from work to stay with David and Allison, and really, it became necessary. Watching Caroline and keeping the household in order became damn near impossible with David around, causing Aiden to begin relying on Allison and Leonard to focus on the baby most of the time. It was for the best though, since it gave the couple an excuse to raise their newly born.

Caroline's impression of the baby- despite the almost constant racket- ceased to change in the slightest. In fact, if anything, she became even more interested in the infant, causing the adults to go as far as being on watch duty, in-case Caroline tried to sneak into the baby room to pester David. Besides the screaming and crying though, David wasn't so bad, and when he wasn't losing his shit about something bothering him, he was eerily quiet, watching the world around him with those big, gunmetal eyes he inherited from his mother. Allison swore that he'd make a great ODST one day, as he was quiet as a mouse when he observed things, while Leonard would roll his eyes and chuckle, amused by his wife's sureness of the matter. He supposed it was a Tex sorta thing.

Eight months passed after what felt like centuries, the family feeling as if it was a huge milestone to have crossed, for whatever reason. Caroline turned four around that time, and had her hopes up, wanting to get into school as soon as possible, but that wouldn't be for another year. Aiden kept up with her, and soon found himself with another fairly solid schedule for each day, as David cried less and less, beginning to crawl without anyone daring to stop him. This, of course, led to Caroline interacting with him even more than before, which also led to far more chaos than anyone had ever suspected she and her brother could get into. One lazy afternoon, with Allison long having been reinstated into her training and with Leonard in the office downtown for once, Aiden was watching Caroline and David.

A few weeks prior to that day, Leonard, Allison, and Aiden had become worried for David, as he had yet to say even one word. As a result, they became determined to have the boy learn a word by the end of the month, a task Aiden took very seriously, after all, he wanted David to be able to speak soon, so that Aiden might finally understand what half the shit he wanted was. Caroline, that afternoon, entered the kitchen near-silently, with David equally as silently crawling behind her. She grinned up at Aiden, pulling on his pants leg to earn his attention. The man glanced down from where he was preparing that day's dinner, giving the two children his full attention. Caroline's grin grew, and she turned, popping out the pacifier that had been in David's mouth.

"David can say a word now!" Caroline explained excitedly, grinning from ear to ear. She'd lost one of her front teeth recently, the gap noticeable in her smile.

"Really, now?" Aiden wiped off his hands on a towel before turning around completely, crouching down to be at eye-level with the four year old. "Alright then. Show me, please."

Caroline nodded, turning to look at David, who was eagerly grabbing at his stolen pacifier, whining loudly at it's loss. "You can have it back later, Davy. Go on, say the word!"

This seemed to spark something in David, who ceased his grabbing to finally speak his first word. "Fuck!" He whined rather loudly, surprising Aiden. "Fuck, fuck, fuck!"

Aiden stared at David with wide eyes, trying internally to figure out why in God's name 'Fuck' was David's first word. "Caroline, why is your brother's first word a swear word?" He asked, trying to keep from snapping at the red-head.

"He said it yesterday after Dad said it, but I wanted to tell you first 'cus I thought you should know first!" Caroline explained, proud of her little brother. "At least he knows a word now, right?"

Aiden groaned, head hung as he hoped against hope that Allison and Leonard wouldn't freak out too badly. "I suppose so... it's just something I wasn't prepared for." It really should've been, he mused, considering who David's parents were.

So that night, once Leonard arrived home, Aiden stood by the door, swallowing a lump in his throat as he internally cursed himself for being afraid. "I'm home!" Leonard announced as he entered through the front door, giving Aiden a surprised look. "Oh... hey, man. Didn't expect to see ya waiting for me. Everything alright?"

"I... suppose so." Aiden replied, looking away from Leonard nervously. He really would've preferred to tell Allison first, as she was more likely to just laugh it off than Leonard. "David has finally said his first word."

This made Leonard's eyes light up, excitement filling him as he grinned from ear to ear. "Holy shit, really? The fuck he say, Aiden? Was it papa? God, I hope it was papa!"

Aiden, again, looked away awkwardly, not knowing how exactly to phrase it without pissing Leonard off. "Um... well, it's certainly not 'papa', though, he did learn it from you." He finally looked Leonard in the eye, trying not to back down. "It's best you see for yourself. Caroline, you can bring your brother in now."

Caroline entered the room, more or less dragging her baby brother, who, with his ever-increasing size, had become too heavy in recent months for the four year old to carry around the house. "He's heavy!" The daughter whined, but still, she seemed hopeful as she released her grip on David, once again taking his pacifier away. "Alright, Davy. Say the word again!"

Leonard crouched down, much like Aiden had earlier, and gave his son a big, excited looking grin. "Go on, buddy. Tell Papa what word ya learned!" Aiden almost felt bad for Leonard as he watched from afar.

David smiled, no teeth in his mouth as spoke the word again. "Fuck!" He cheered this time instead of whining, smiling even more as Caroline returned to him his pacifier.

There was a long, intimidating beat of silence, before Leonard let out a loud, terrifying boom of laughter, a huge grin on his face as he scooped David up, hugging the baby close. "That's my boy!" He laughed, throwing David into the air and catching him with ease. "What a sly little fucker you are! Just wait 'til Mama finds out, she'll be so happy!"

Aiden simply stood there, utterly confused, but soon smiled nonetheless. It was a Leonard kinda thing, he mused, chuckling to himself as he continued to watch Leonard smother his son with love and affection.

...

A/N: Another chapter done! I'm not so sure when the next chapter'll be, but hopefully it'll be real soon here!

~Supercasey.


	3. Funeral

There's No Price On Me

Chapter 3: Funeral

Pairing(s): Leonard Church/Allison Church, Leonard Church/Aiden Price, Leonard Church/Allison Church/Aiden Price, etc.

Description: Aiden Price has just signed up to move in with Leonard and Allison Church in Austin, Texas. Leonard is a scientist, Aiden is between jobs, and Allison is a soldier. The war gets bad, so Allison goes and Aiden and Leonard wait for her. When she doesn't come back, Aiden signs up for a lot more than just being a roommate. He never expected to have kids, but nothings wrong with surprises. Usually.

A/N: Watch me break everyone whose reading this fic's heart right fucking now. Please R&R!

...

It was about a month later, after David had started talking, that Aiden Price started to figure out more about what his contract really meant. He awoke one night in a haze, his senses not catching up to him at first. David hadn't woken him up- the boy was sound asleep for once in his life- and Caroline was asleep in her bedroom, so Aiden was pretty confused about the lack of a little girl trying to shake him awake or a baby crying. The darker man sat up, looking around his bedroom with bleary eyes, wondering in the back of his mind what exactly had woken him up so abruptly. Suddenly, a soft moan echoed from down the hallway. Getting up slowly, Aiden slipped on some slippers before easing out of his room, tiptoeing towards the master bedroom of the house.

The door was partially open, and moonlight filtered from the other side of the door. Aiden was dead quiet as he approached, trying not to disturb his roommates. He'd just go use the restroom and then go back to bed. However, curiosity got the best of Aiden once he heard a mattress from inside the master bedroom shift, accompanied by another soft, low moan. If he hadn't been better educated, Aiden would've thought the sound to be ghost-like, but he knew better than that. No, he knew that moan all too well- it was Leo, and it sounded like he and Allison were more than likely fucking in there. Aiden blushed at the thought, not wanting to walk in on them, and made to high-tail it out of there, when suddenly-

*SQUEAK*

Aiden jumped about two feet in the air, falling to the ground as he yelped in surprise. While backing away from the master bedroom's door, he'd stepped on a rubber duck that'd been left by one of the children the day before. Aiden desperately tried to jump up and run to his own room, but he was slightly disoriented thanks to the adrenaline rush he now had. Before he could fully compose himself, Aiden felt a hand grab his own, hoisting him to sit up on the floor. Aiden's eyes widened in horror as he recognized Allison standing above him, one hand on her hip, the other still holding Aiden's. She was only in a black bra and black panties, something that made Aiden both uncomfortable and slightly aroused.

Behind her, leaning on the door-frame, was Leonard, eyes half-lidded and slightly glazed over. He gave Aiden an angry pout, but otherwise made no comment on the man's sudden appearance. Leonard was completely naked, save for bed sheets that were wrapped messily around his middle. Aiden swallowed, wondering just what his roommates would do now. This looked so bad, Aiden figured, as it appeared at first glance that he'd been spying or eavesdropping on the young couple. As Aiden mentally scrambled for a half decent excuse, Allison tilted her head curiously, crouching down to be at Aiden's level on the floor.

"What're you doing up?" Allison asked. Somehow, it sounded almost... understanding, like she wasn't about to accuse him of eavesdropping or spying on her and her husband.

"I-I-I-" It was hard to make Aiden stutter, yet Allison was almost always the exception. "I heard a noise and I was worried that it was one of the children."

"Let's fucking HOPE it's not one of the children." Leonard said from the doorway, looking ready to fall asleep or pass out.

"Shut up." Allison ordered, shooting Leonard a short glare, before looking back down at Aiden, as if considering something... "Hey, Aiden, how about you join us?" She requested, voice having an almost dangerous undertone. "I mean, only if you want to... it's your choice. And Leonard's-" She glanced at Leonard, giving him a mischievous smirk. "-What do you think, Leo? Think a night with Aiden would be fun?"

Leonard squinted at Aiden, as if considering his own options, before putting on an equally mischievous smirk, beginning to nod enthusiastically with Allison. "Only if he wants to, Tex. What do ya say, Aid? Sound like fun?"

Aiden swallowed, feeling very, very worried. If he flat-out said yes, unforeseen consequences could easily follow, but then again... how many times had he fantasized this? How many times had he imagined just one more night with Leonard? Hell, how many times had he imagined a night with BOTH of them!? It was a hard descion though, one Aiden knew would effect him for the rest of his life. But they both looked so certain, so pleased with the idea of having Aiden join in... Aiden wanted to look away, but couldn't, too lost in Allison's eyes to look away, as if she were Medusa, slowly but surely turning him to stone with her stare. But he wasn't becoming a statue- he was falling in love with her. With THEM.

Letting out a sigh of uneasiness, Aiden stood, nodding at Allison. "I suppose one night couldn't be too dangerous." He supposed, following them into the master bedroom.

It was going to be a long night.

...

"I'm going to war."

Leonard snapped awake at the sudden sound of Allison's voice, quiet in the middle of the night. Aiden was passed out in-between them- he was always so tired after sex- and nuzzled closer to Allison upon hearing her voice, but he didn't wake up. Leonard stared at Allison, eyes wide as he watched her. She was angelic that morning- the sunlight was just beginning to come through the window shutters, and they made her look like a goddess as they shimmered on her sweat-drenched skin. She had Aiden's head on her lap, her fingers brushing over his shaved head carefully, like she was afraid to wake him up. She soon met Leonard's gaze, tears in her eyes. Leonard didn't need to hear her say it to know she was serious.

"When?" He asked, voice low. He was trying not to cry, because part of him already knew what this meant. This meant that she might never come back.

"Three days." Allison explained, lower lip wobbling a bit as she too tried to keep herself from breaking down. "They need me out there, Leo. It's what my friends have been dying for."

"What about the kids? What about us?" Leonard waved a hand at Aiden, trying as hard as possible to keep her. "What will we do when you're gone, Tex?"

Allison sighed deeply, defeated yet accepting of this loss. There was always the promise of a future victory after all. "Keep moving forward. That's what the heroes say, right? You keep moving forward. I'll be back, Leo."

Leonard chuckled, shaking his head. "You're an awful liar, Tex." He said, leaning over Aiden to press a kiss against her cheek. "No one ever comes back, once they're off-world... you might never come back, Allison."

Allison nodded her head in acceptance. "I know, Leo... I know. But I have to do this. I have to go fight the war that my brothers in arms have died for."

Leonard looked away, eyes on Aiden, who was still snoring softly. "I'll find you, if you don't end up dead out there. I'll find you and bring you home."

Allison laughed outright, thankfully not waking Aiden up. "Don't make a girl a promise if ya know ya can't keep it, Leo. I'll be back." And the conversation ended there, before Aiden could wake up and ask why his lovers were crying. He'd know soon enough.

...

"Leonard, put the camera away!" Allison ordered, trying not to laugh and cry at the same time. It was incredibly difficult, considering what was about to happen.

It was around mid June that day, the sun shining bright over Austin, Texas as Allison prepared to leave. Caroline had been all over her the last few days, even though Allison kept urging the girl to not say goodbye to her, that she'd be home real soon. She even promised to bring home a souvenir for the poor girl. David hadn't really noticed, too busy trying to walk and explore to realize that his mother would soon be leaving. Allison did her best to ignore the video camera in Leonard's hands as she pulled her space marine uniform on, standing outside on the porch. Aiden was only a few feet away, arms crossed as he watched Allison dress herself for a war. She picked up her Assault Rifle with ease, reloading it in the sunshine. It fitted her well, too well even. No one wanted her to look ready to die.

"Seriously, Leo." Allison walked right up to the camera, a goofy grin on her face as she tried to shove the camera away, but Leonard kept it on her, unaffected by her shoving. "Quit goofing around! The kids might wake up and hear you!"

"Mama?" Everyone paused, and Allison turned around to stare into the open front door of the house. Standing in the doorway was David, rubbing his eyes as he stood there in his footy pajamas, with his stuffed cat Patches under his left arm.

"Have a nightmare, kiddo?" When David nodded, Allison walked over and scooped the blond toddler up, rubbing his back as he fisted her chest plate like it was the most natural thing in the world. "Wanna tell Mama what happened?"

David only shook his head, eyes half-lidded as he stared at her face, looking confused. "Mama's gonna be going somewhere for a bit." Allison said, running her fingers through the small boy's hair. "Think you can man the fort with your sister until I'm back?"

David nodded his head, but didn't seem to really understand. "Here-" Allison handed David over to Aiden, who took the boy with ease from her. "-Take care of 'em until I'm back, alright?" She then looked back to Leonard, sighing under her breath. "What're you even doing, Leo?"

"Something to remember you by... just in-case." Leonard explained, and as Allison moved to walk away, he grabbed her wrist, holding it tightly. "You don't have to do this, Allison. You could always ask for more leave."

"Leonard," Allison's voice was soft, yet strict. "I have to go... don't make me punch you." She chuckled under her breath, smiling up at him again. "They need me out there, Leo. I'm going to make the universe our children will grow up in safe."

"I..." Leonard couldn't say anything, choking back tears even as they descended down his face. He let out a sob, prompting Allison to hug him. "I can't lose you, Tex... I can't lose you..."

"It'll be okay, Leo. If you don't say goodbye, I'll always be here. As sappy as it is, I'll still be around, even if I kick the bucket." Avoiding the word 'die' was the best idea, Allison figured, as she watched her base's military truck pull up, a few of her friends already on-board. "I have to go now... I'll be back." And with that, she let go of him, walking towards the truck.

Leonard started to step forward, ready to stop her from leaving him, but Aiden stopped him with a hand on his shoulder. "She must make her own decisions." Aiden warned, voice soft and comforting as David fell asleep on his shoulder. "And you must allow her to fulfill her duty to her military. She is only doing what she believes is right."

"I... I know, Aid." Leonard muttered, walking back inside as he turned the camera off, shoulders lax as he walked inside, looking defeated. "I just... I don't want her to go."

Aiden said nothing after that, preferring to watch as Allison's truck drove away. That would be the last time he saw her face to face, but he'd hear her voice again in the future. Someday.

...

All good things come to an end, Aiden remembered a philosopher once saying, yet somehow, that didn't seem to soften the blow of losing her. Here's how it went down: David turned two, and Allison left to fight the war. She never came back. They waited for her, because she'd done this before and this wasn't all that new to the family, but she never came home to them. They waited and waited, until one day, a space marine who surely wasn't their Allison in a clean, well-tended for uniform knocked on the Church Family door, with a letter in one hand, and Allison's Basic Training hat in the other. She died with honor, the space marine promised, while keeping Leonard standing after he collapsed on him, sobbing and begging for his wife to come home. But life isn't a fairy tale, so Allison didn't come home.

And so, funeral plans started. They couldn't have a showing- the body that was recovered was too... mauled to be shown to the family or family friends- so they right away started planning the funeral. Aiden was the one who got the kid's their funeral clothes, as well as Leonard's and his own. Caroline took it... strangely, like it wasn't real. At first, at least. It wasn't a day later that she began to understand that no, Mom wasn't coming home, and yes, she was really dead and it wasn't a lie. David was too young to understand, and Aiden almost cried when he realized that in a few months time, he'd probably forget what his mother even looked like. He'd only remember a voice and features, but never have any real memories of her.

The funeral happened three days after the family was told Allison was dead. It occurred on a painfully sunny day- the world shouldn't have been happy and carefree, not while Allison was dead and gone and never coming home- and the coffin was set up outside on a stage, where family and friends alike came up and paid their respects to the dead space marine. Aiden stood in silence beside a playpen he and some random friend of Allison's he'd never met set up, with David and two other very little kids inside, playing and laughing as if there wasn't even a funeral happening. Aiden was on guard duty, but lit up a bit as Caroline approached him, admittingly beautiful in her long, pretty black dress.

"How are you, Caroline?" Aiden asked as the girl approached him, eyes on her and off of the playpen. There wasn't much point in asking, but Aiden figured that Caroline could use an excuse to talk about her feelings.

Caroline shrugged, kicking at a small stone on the grassy ground, which knocked into one of the bars on the playpen, waking David up. "I dunno." She mused, ignoring the way her baby brother stared at her with big, curious eyes. "Kinda sad. Kinda not. I dunno."

Aiden nodded in agreement, patting the grass beside him. Loyally, Caroline sat down beside him, immediately lulling her head onto his shoulder. "I miss her." She explained, tears in her eyes, but she wiped them away quickly. "I wish she was home."

"We all do, Caroline." Aiden agreed, sighing to himself as he felt David pulling on his shirt. He stood and turned around, scooping David up effortlessly. "I know it's difficult, but those feelings will dissipate over a long period of time." He continued, sitting back down, now with David sitting on his lap. "Grieving is a... hard process. But, like all things, it takes time and effort to overcome. I know you will overcome this, Caroline."

Caroline sniffled, wiping her eyes again in an effort to keep from crying. "Thanks, Uncle Aiden." She mumbled, smiling weakly before she reached over, ruffling playfully at David's hair, if only to distract herself. "You want me to get you a snack, Davy?"

David nodded enthusiastically, sucking on his thumb with one hand, the other gripping Aiden's shirt like a lifeline. "Yes, please!" He mumbled around his thumb, looking very excited.

"On it." And God, Caroline sounded like Allison in that moment, but by the time Aiden shook it away, she was gone, running off to retrieve herself and her brother something to eat.

With Carolina gone, Aiden sighed, turning to look down at David, who looked even more like his mother as he grew older. He had the same eyes, same hair, even the same freckles (Though he had way more). The boy didn't pay much attention to Aiden, too busy fumbling and whispering to the stuffed cat in his arms, one he'd had since Allison bought it for him a few days after he'd been born. It made Aiden smile; at least David had something to remember her by. The blond toddler suddenly began struggling in Aiden's grip until the darker man let go, releasing the boy. Immediately, David crawled onto the grass, standing on shaky legs as he began to approach the crowd of adults near the coffin.

Aiden watched him from afar, feeling it was best to just let the boy be. After all, the kid was curious as to what exactly was going on, and Aiden wasn't about to stop him. However, the man jumped up as he realized that David was walking towards Leonard. In a rush, Aiden tried to run up to David and catch him, but David got to Leonard first, pulling on his father's pants leg for his attention. Aiden stopped dead in his tracks, knowing it was too late to stop him. Leonard turned from where he'd been talking in hushed tones with a coworker, crouching down to look at David. He was dead quiet as he looked at him, and Aiden knew right away that all Leonard could see in that moment was Allison.

Without a single word, Leonard stood back up and walked away, leaving David to simply stare after him. Aiden then ran to David, scooping the boy up at once. "Is Papa mad at me?" The boy asked as soon as Aiden had him in his arms.

Aiden shook his head, biting his lip as he considered what to say to the toddler. "No, David. Your father is simply... sad. He's sad about your mother being gone, and he's not in the mood to play with you."

"Oh..." David trailed off, staring at his cat plushie longingly, as if it would fill the void his mother had left. "Do you think if I made him a picture, he'd be happy again?"

Aiden smiled sadly at David, nodding his head in agreement. "I think that would make him very happy, David. What do you want to draw him?" It was a good idea to ask, just in-case David got the bright idea to draw Allison for him.

David shrugged, before looking again at his stuffed cat, a big grin growing on his face as he locked eyes with the stuffie. "I'll draw him Patches!" He declared, excited by his new idea.

Eagerly, David began to squirm, wanting to get down. So, Aiden crouched down, letting David go once the blond toddler had both of his feet on the ground. As he ran off, David almost slammed right into Caroline, who handed him a juice box before he took off running again. Once he was gone, Caroline approached Aiden, holding a handful of crackers. "What's his deal?" She asked curiously, looking to Aiden for an explanation.

"He's going to draw a picture for your father." Aiden explained, smiling fondly at David as he watched the boy fish out a drawing pad and a crayon box from his backpack. "Would you like to help him?"

Caroline considered it, before shaking her head, uninterested in playing with her brother. "No thanks. Where's Dad? Have you seen him?"

Aiden sighed, looking away. "He's... busy. He's greeting all of the guests before the funeral starts. You should go play; the funeral will start soon enough."

Caroline hung her head, looking disappointed. "... M'kay." She agreed, dragging her feet towards where David was coloring happily.

Aiden watched them for awhile, quietly wondering if this nightmare would ever end. He hated seeing Caroline so sad and Leonard so depressed, not to mention... Allison was gone. She was dead. And now, Aiden and Leonard were alone, raising these two kids who hardly understood the true meaning of their mother's death. They'd understand one day, Aiden mused, but part of him didn't want them to. He didn't want them to get used to the fact that they'd never have a mother again. Aiden hardly noticed that there were tears rolling down his face until they were dripping onto his shirt. He wiped them away, but it was futile. A woman who looked to be in her late fifties noticed this, and immediately came over, offering a hug to the grieving man.

Without hesitating, Aiden allowed the woman to embrace him. He could pretend, for a few minutes, that it was Allison holding him, that it was her by his side again. Aiden had no idea who this lady was- he'd never seen her before now- but that didn't matter. He needed to cry and she was just a convenient body to cry against. It wasn't like she was anyone he knew outside of this nightmare world anyhow.

The rest of the day would be a blur upon later recollections.

...

A/N: It's 1:31 AM in Michigan... why am I up re-reading my own fanfiction before posting it? The fuck is wrong with me!? Please R&R!

~Supercasey.


	4. Dinner

There's No Price On Me

Chapter 4: Dinner

Pairing(s): Leonard Church/Allison Church, Leonard Church/Aiden Price, Leonard Church/Allison Church/Aiden Price, etc.

Description: Aiden Price has just signed up to move in with Leonard and Allison Church in Austin, Texas. Leonard is a scientist, Aiden is between jobs, and Allison is a soldier. The war gets bad, so Allison goes and Aiden and Leonard wait for her. When she doesn't come back, Aiden signs up for a lot more than just being a roommate. He never expected to have kids, but nothings wrong with surprises. Usually.

A/N: "De·pres·sion/Depression: Feelings of severe despondency and dejection."

...

The week passed as a blur, much like the funeral had. Aiden wasn't sure where he was half the time, as if in a daze. It wasn't as bad as Leonard though.

Leonard... he broke away. He had always been reclusive- Aiden had known him long enough to know that- and he had always struggled with bouts of depression. But this... this was different. He stopped interacting with the kids, which did nothing to sooth their own grieving, and rarely ate, drank, or left his room. Well, no, he drank alright. He drank alcohol until he passed out, head tilted to the side as he snored loudly on his and Allison's bed, fast asleep for hours on end. Aiden kept David and Caroline out of Leonard's room, trying to find a way to fill the void both Allison and now Leonard had left. Caroline took it the worst, seemingly disagreeing with Aiden about everything, while David kept trying to sneak into his father's room, if only to catch a glimpse of his missing father figure.

Aiden had been looking into finding distractions. He took them out a lot, whether to kid's restaurants or parks, and while it kept the children entertained for hours on end, at the end of the day, they still begged Aiden to let them see their father. It was heartbreaking really, but there was no way in Hell Aiden was about to let them see Leonard in such a state. It could cause more damage than even he could handle. One Tuesday, the doorbell rang. Aiden hurried to the front door at once, now used to Allison and Leonard's relatives coming by to drop off food, but instead of finding any of these people, Aiden found a stranger that he hardly recognized. He knew right away that he'd been at the funeral, but he had no idea who he was. One of Leonard's friends maybe?

"Good afternoon, Mr. Price," The man greeted, his accent British. "May I ask if Dr. Leonard Church is home at the moment?"

"For what reasons?" Aiden asked, hoping he didn't sound too defensive. He'd been trying to keep people from visiting Leonard while he was still depressed and agitated.

"I don't mean to be a burden, but I only wish to discuss some... business matters with the man." The stranger explained, smiling a bit at Aiden. "Forgive me for not introducing myself. I am Dr. Malcolm Hargrove, lead chairmen of Charon Industries."

"The name on Dad's coffee mug?" Caroline asked, poking into the conversation from behind Aiden's leg, staring up at Dr. Hargrove curiously. "Are you one of Dad's friends?"

Hargrove smiled at Caroline, crouching down to eye-level with the fiery haired girl. "Why, yes I am, little girl. You must be Caroline Church. Your father talks endlessly of your achievements."

Caroline giggled at this, shaking hands with Hargrove. "Caroline, why don't you go play with David?" Aiden ordered, Caroline understanding it for what it was and leaving in a hurry to find her younger brother.

Hargrove stood once she was gone, smirking at Aiden. "Curious, isn't she? A lovely young girl, she is. Much like her late mother. So sorry she passed away."

Aiden swallowed, uneasy in front of Hargrove. He had a bad feeling about this guy. "Yes, it was quite... hard. On all of us. The children aren't taking it very well."

"Wouldn't be right if they did, would it?" Hargrove joked, but Aiden didn't laugh, though Hargrove didn't seem affected by this factor.

"I don't think Leonard is very well right now. Maybe another time, perhaps?" Aiden offered, just about ready to kick the businessman out. That uneasiness was quickly becoming a black hole of anxiety.

"Oh, of course, of course!" Hargrove said, waving off Aiden's obvious irritation with the man, acting as if everything were fine. "But, please, I'm sure you and the children are quite bored here, cooped up in this house? How about I treat you, Leonard, and the children to dinner? It wouldn't be any trouble, and I'm sure the children would appreciate it."

Aiden stiffened, but before he could refuse, Caroline came running back to the front door, now with David at her heels. "What about dinner?" David asked, and Aiden mentally cursed. Of course they'd come running once food was mentioned.

Hargrove brightened, practically rubbing it in Aiden's face as he scooped David up with ease, holding the blond child up to speak to directly. "I'll be taking you and your family out to eat somewhere. Isn't that right, Mr. Price?"

Caroline's eyes went big, looking to Aiden for confirmation. "Really? Are we gonna go eat out, Uncle Aiden? Is Dad gonna geta come?"

"Of course!" Hargrove promised, and Aiden wanted nothing more than to snap that damned businessman's neck, but held back, mainly because he wasn't physically strong enough to actually do such a thing.

"... Of course, Carol." Aiden finally said, exchanging a look with Hargrove, who shrugged as he set David down to cower in fear behind his sister. He was obviously afraid of the stranger. "I'll go get him. Please, Dr. Hargrove, come inside for a drink. I'll be back momentarily. Children, go and get yourselves dressed."

"But I can't do it myself yet!" David explained, obviously afraid to, as he was still only two years old. "What if I choke 'n die!?"

"I'll help ya, Davy." Caroline promised her brother, and for a moment, Aiden considered objecting, but decided not to in the end. After all, what was the harm of letting Caroline help out a little? It wasn't like SHE was raising him, right? Right.

"Such a responsible child." Hargrove praised as he entered the house, and Caroline beamed at that, soaking in the approval like a dried out sponge.

"Yes, she's very... mature for her age." Aiden decided, forgetting to mention that just yesterday, Caroline had taken a nap just like David without a hint of denial.

With the kids busy getting dressed and Hargrove drinking tea in the kitchen, Aiden hurried to Leonard's room while he had everyone out of his hair. He was quiet as he approached, opening the door silently before entering, locking the door behind him to ensure that none of the kids or Hargrove would come inside. Lying on the bed was Leonard, passed out and fully clothed still in his funeral clothes, an empty bottle of hard whiskey practically cradled in his arms. Aiden sighed, disappointed in himself for never making Leonard wash himself. Well, he'd have to now. So, with only a hint of hesitance, Aiden came to Leonard's bedside, grabbing his knee and shaking him awake.

"Leonard," Aiden whispered, trying to usher the scientist awake. "Leonard, it's time to get up now. You need to shower and get dressed. We're going out to dinner."

"What?" Leonard replied, voice weak as he squinted his eyes open, appearing dizzy and uncoordinated. "No, go away..." He mumbled, trying to roll over and look away from Aiden.

Aiden sighed, shaking his head as he grabbed Leonard by the shoulders, forcing him to sit up. "You need to get up, Leonard. We're going out to eat." He said, trying to coax the scientist to stand up.

"Fuck off." Leonard muttered, but Aiden was stronger than him, and after a few minutes, he was put on his feet again. "What do you even want?"

It took every bit of Aiden's patience NOT to snap at Leonard as he helped him up, keeping his hands on his shoulders so he wouldn't lie back down. "We're going out to eat." He repeated, tone icy and calm. "Go shower and get dressed."

Leonard looked ready to object, but seemed to come to some sort of agreement in his head to not argue too much with Aiden. Slowly, Leonard began stripping, and Aiden politely looked away from him. While Leonard got undressed and in his bathroom's shower, Aiden got himself dressed, throwing on some of Leonard's old clothes. He didn't want to leave the room, just in-case Leonard fell over in the shower, so he settled on just borrowing some of Leonard's clothes. They were a bit baggy on Aiden, but that didn't stop him from wearing the clothing. After about ten minutes, Leonard emerged from the shower, throwing on the clothing Aiden handed to him once he was out. Leonard wasn't perfectly clean, having not done a good job washing himself, but Aiden wasn't about to make him go back in. They were already late enough.

Once Leonard was dressed, he and Aiden hurried out of the room, Aiden making sure Leonard didn't grab any alcohol on the way out. "We're ready!" David cheered once he saw them, almost tripping Leonard as he made grabby hands up at the man. "Papa, up! Up up up!"

Before Aiden could say no, Leonard crouched down and scooped the blond boy up, eyes glued to his mop of hair. "You look just like Allison, ya know that, right?" He whispered to the little boy, making Aiden's heartbeat slow down for a few seconds.

David didn't need to be reminded of that, Aiden thought, but he was Leonard's son and he had no control over what Leonard said to the toddler. David just stared at Leonard after being given the compliment, unsure of how to feel about it. Leonard didn't try for a reaction though, and simply carried David into the kitchen, freezing once he saw Hargrove. "Dr. Hargrove." He said simply, voice low and almost... afraid. Aiden couldn't tell why.

Hargrove smirked at Leonard, Caroline sitting on his lap as he showed her something on his cell phone. "Why, hello, Dr. Church. So sorry about your loss. I was hoping you and I could discuss a few things over dinner, hm?" He set Caroline down on the floor, standing up to stand about a half foot shorter than Leonard.

"Uh... yeah, sure, okay." Leonard said in a rushed daze, making to turn and walk out of the kitchen, only to collide face-first with the hallway wall. "Ow, fuck, sorry there, Aid." He mumbled, reaching blindly around until he found Hargrove's shoulder, patting it apologetically.

Aiden cursed his luck. Of COURSE Leonard was still drunk- when wasn't he these days?- but the timing was absolutely horrendous. For whatever reason, Aiden felt the need to show Dr. Hargrove that everything was just fine, that losing Allison hadn't changed them, but that would be a lie, wouldn't it? Aiden didn't care about lying much anymore, he just wanted to prove Hargrove wrong. But Hargrove hadn't SAID that he doubted them... so why did it feel like he was judging them 24/7? Deciding to question it at a better time, Aiden grabbed Leonard by the shoulder and walked him out of the hallway and to the front door, the back of his neck feeling warm to the point that his skin felt aflame as Hargrove followed directly behind the duo.

The kids followed behind Hargrove, trying to get around him to see their father, but Hargrove, to Aiden's thankfulness, kept them at bay behind him, acting as a roadblock. Aiden, meanwhile, led Leonard out the front door, stopping to wait on the porch for the others. Hargrove and the kids soon joined them on the porch, Hargrove beginning to lead the way as he walked to his car- a fancy limo model- and unlocked the doors, opening one of the doors so the kids could pile in first. David and Caroline were in awe, having never been in a limo before, while Aiden bit back the need to offer to drive them to the restaurant himself. Best not to bite a gift horse in the mouth, even if it meant having a drunken Leonard in Malcolm Hargrove's limo.

"Nice digs, Hargrove," Leonard mumbled once he was inside, thankfully sober enough to buckle himself in. "Why a limo?"

"I thought it best we drive in style. Don you agree, children?" Hargrove pointed his question at David and Caroline, who were eagerly hopping in their seats as they watched their neighborhood from the windows.

"Yeah, this is awesome!" Caroline agreed, David spitting out a copied string of 'Awesome's' to go along with his sister. "It's so long!"

"It is... fancy." Aiden offered, trying as hard as physically possible not to look at Hargrove as he watched the neighborhood along with Caroline and David. This couldn't end well.

...

"Thank you for buying us dinner, Dr. Hargrove!" Caroline cheered as she and her family left the restaurant, right on Hargrove's heels.

"Anytime, dear," Hargrove replied, leading the way back to his limo. "Perhaps, if you would all like, we could visit a park near where I live? It's a beautiful park really, with plenty of space to run around for you and your younger brother."

"We're going to the park!?" David asked, excited to play in a park, especially since his father would be there, opening the doors for David to play with him. "Is Daddy gonna come!?"

"I'm already here, ain't I?" Leonard said, now much more sober after dinner, though he still looked a tad unsteady. "Why not? You wanna go, Aid?"

Aiden huffed, knowing that yet again, Hargrove was using the children to make Aiden and Leonard talk with him. "I don't see why not." He muttered, trying not to growl and give in to his more primal instincts to rip Hargrove's throat open.

It was just that... Hargrove was weaselly, in Aiden's opinion. He had too many sly smirks, was too good at manipulating them all, and worst of all, he had an awful habit of making the kids convince Aiden and Leonard to do what Hargrove wanted. They didn't mean to, not at all, but they were excitable little kids that were finally spending time with their father. Of course they were taking every opportunity available to try and play with him! Even so, Aiden was suspicious of Hargrove, and didn't trust him one bit. However, a trip to the park could very well be good for the kids and Leonard, so Aiden didn't put his foot down and say no quite yet. He was saving that for in-case Hargrove offered to show them around his own home, in which case, Aiden wasn't going to let the kids anywhere near him. Aiden didn't trust Hargrove not to take advantage of the children's innocence.

The drive to the park was rather quick, with the kids starting to calm down as the night progressed, but they let loose as soon as the limo doors opened at the entrance to the park. Just like that, Caroline took off towards the nearest playscape, while David waited until Leonard was out of the limo, eagerly taking his hand and attempting to drag him off to play with him. Leonard didn't turn his son down, and Aiden kept a close eye on Caroline while Leonard watched over David, his mind quite obviously somewhere else. Hargrove sat at a bench, watching the family from afar, and somehow, it made Aiden completely uncomfortable, not wanting the scientist's eyes on him 24/7 while he attempted to play with Caroline and forget all about the earlier tension. If anything, it seemed to grow tenfold, but not enough yet for the children to notice too much.

It wasn't long before Caroline came running towards Aiden, panting as she leaned against him for support, tuckered out by all her running. "I'm tired." She said, whimpering as she rubbed her head with one hand, the other holding Aiden's pants leg.

After checking to see if Caroline had hurt her head or not, Aiden scooped the girl up, holding her securely in his arms. "Let's get you home then." He suggested, looking around for Leonard and David. "Leonard? David?"

A few minutes passed, before Leonard and David emerged from behind the playscape, David fast asleep in Leonard's arms. "He tuckered himself out running in the field," Leonard explained as he approached Aiden, smirking in satisfaction. "He's easier to handle when he's asleep."

"Aren't they sweet?" Hargrove asked, suddenly appearing by the group, smiling down at David in Leonard's arms. "It doesn't take very much to excite them, does it?"

"I suppose not..." Aiden replied, eyes on Hargrove as he held Caroline just a bit tighter. "I think we should get home, the children should be put to bed."

"Of course, of course!" Hargrove said, smiling almost wickedly at the two men before him, each with a sleeping child in their arms as Caroline finally fell asleep. "I'll get you all home then. Thank you for coming out to dinner with me, it was wonderful."

"Yeah, it was," Leonard agreed, though he didn't sound like he wanted to stay anymore than Aiden did. "We should go."

And so, Hargrove had his limo driver drive them all back to the house, the limo ride absolutely silent, now that the kids were asleep. Once they arrived home, Hargrove waved his goodbyes, promising to visit again at some point. Both Leonard and Aiden exchanged a look when he was gone, but said nothing on the matter. Instead, they got the kids back upstairs, changing them into pajamas before putting them to bed. With the kids taken care of, Aiden made to return to his own room, since Leonard was now completely sober and could dress himself for bed. He stopped, however, as a hand landed on his shoulder. Aiden turned around, dark brown eyes meeting bright emerald greens. Leonard smirked at Aiden, giving his friend an expectant look.

"Aw, come on, Aiden," Leonard smirked as he spoke, something Aiden hadn't seen since Allison had passed away. "Where are you going? Our room is downstairs."

"I..." Aiden wasn't sure what to say. Were they still together, now that Allison was gone? Was Aiden still welcome in Leonard's bedroom? "If... if you insist." He eventually agreed, unable to hide the fact that he wanted to as he followed Leonard downstairs and into their bedroom.

...

Aiden awoke to the sound of computer keys tapping somewhere nearby, but he didn't open his eyes quite yet. He was too tired. However, a low cat's purr made his eyes snap open at once. He was facing away from the computer, but he could see the light shining off the wall from where he was. At the computer was Leonard, he puzzled together, but where had the cat purr come from? Aiden made to roll over and ask, but stopped once he heard a soft giggle from the computer's direction, followed by a slightly deeper chuckle from Leonard. It had to be David, Aiden thought, straining to hear what was going on. Unable to hide his curiosity any longer, Aiden silently and slowly rolled over, now facing where Leonard's work desk was. His eyes widened slightly at the sight before him.

Leonard was at his desk working on his computer, as Aiden had expected, but David was sitting in his lap, watching a viral cat video with Leonard. They were both in pajamas, Leonard in his boxers and David in cat-patterned pajamas that were hand-me-downs from Caroline. The blond boy giggled as he watched the cat in the video slip and fall off a table, narrowly missing it's jump, and Leonard laughed along with him, if only to please his son. David's facination with felines had always puzzled Aiden, as Leonard was severely allergic to cat fur, making it impossible to ever own one, but he rarely dwelled on it. After all, he figured it was good if David liked animals. Better to like them than want to hurt them, right?

"You feeling any better, kiddo?" Leonard asked in-between videos, working the computer mouse to find another for he and his son to watch.

"M'hm!" David assured, before pausing, looking up to give Leonard a concerned look. "... But, can we watch a few more, Daddy?"

"Of course. Not like you got school yet, right?" Leonard said, before clicking on the next cat video, prompting another bout of silence between the duo, only broken whenever David and Leonard would giggle/chuckle at the cats on-screen.

Once the video ended, David coughed, gaining Leonard's attention. "Daddy?" David asked, looking a bit afraid to ask. "Can I ask you a question?"

Leonard nodded, prompting David to continue. "How come Uncle Aiden sleeps with you in your bed?" He questioned, appearing confused.

Aiden shut his eyes quickly, just as Leonard turned to glance at him, narrowly missing being caught eavesdropping. "Well... ya know how me and Mommy loved each other when she was alive?" When David nodded, Leonard smirked at his son. "Well, it's like that. Before Mommy died, she, Daddy, and Uncle Aiden were together. We were in love."

David's eyes widened in response. "Really!?" He gasped, and when Leonard nodded in confirmation, David looked star-struck. "You mean boys can love each other like Mommy's and Daddy's do!?"

Leonard laughed at this. "Why not? I mean, I loved Mommy, right? And I still love Aiden. Some boys like loving boys more than girls, and some girls like loving girls more than boys. Sometimes they love both. That's what Daddy, Aiden, and Mommy did. But now it's only me and Aiden."

"So, does that mean Uncle Aiden is like my Daddy, too?" David asked, head tilted in deep confusion and thought.

"You should ask him yourself, kiddo." Leonard said, ruffling David's blond hair with a sly smirk on his face. "I'm not sure if that's my call or not."

"Okey dokey." David agreed, before settling back down against Leonard for another video.

A few videos later and he fell asleep in Leonard's lap. Once Leonard realized David was asleep, he scooped the blond toddler up with ease, carrying him out of his bedroom and back into his room. Aiden rolled back over onto his sleeping side once they left, unable to hide his grin as he heard Leonard walk upstairs to put David to bed. Even after Leonard had come back to bed and fallen asleep, Aiden still smiled, wearing it through his sleep and into the morning.

...

A/N: Another chapter done for this storyline! I hope you all like it so far, I know I do! Please R&R!

~Supercasey.


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